Malden steps up for Medford Invitational Challenger Day

For local youth sports advocate Ron Giovino of Medford, it’s about seeing a group of kids having a blast. For Malden mayor Gary Christenson, it’s about seeing countless smiles on those kids’ faces.

Dom Nicastro

For local youth sports advocate Ron Giovino of Medford, it’s about seeing a group of kids having a blast. For Malden mayor Gary Christenson, it’s about seeing countless smiles on those kids’ faces.

And for the kids themselves, organizers say it’s about an opportunity to play the game of baseball and have fun doing it.

The sixth annual Medford Invitational Challenger Day Event meant different things for participants and volunteers, and all in all it was another successful event – this time at Bruce Field in Malden after years in Medford.

The game, a one-inning affair featuring 45 players from the Malden, Billerica and Greater Lynn Little League Challenger programs, went off in perfect weather Sunday, Aug. 19. About 300 attended the event, put on by about 75 volunteers, Giovino said.

The day was made even better when the city of Malden offered up the Irish American hall for a postgame celebration with refreshments.

“Challenger Day is an all-star celebration of these very special athletes,” Giovino said. “I told my staff we only have one problem – that I don’t know how much better we can get. But we started working (Aug. 20) on making that happen. Mayor Christenson pulled out all the stops for us, and the business people of Medford and Malden – their commitment is amazing.”

“It takes a lot of money and effort to put this on, and the businesses have been extremely generous,” he added. “Even though we moved from Medford to Malden. The support from the communities amazes me.”

Christenson, a first-year mayor and former City Councilor and School Committee member, also happens to be a lefty pitcher who threw out the ceremonial first pitch. Challenger Day has always held a special place in his heart.

“Once I heard they may be moving (from Medford), I asked Ron whether or not we could host it here,” Christenson said. “And it was absolutely a great event. It’s a reminder of what life’s all about, watching these kids, their families and the volunteers come together for an afternoon to support each other.”

City officials in Malden stepped forward, according to Christenson, to help make Bruce Field get spruced up for the event.

“We spent a lot of time on the little things because that’s how passionate we feel about what Ron Giovino is doing with these kids,” the mayor said.

The day’s events featured local government officials along with Wally the Green Monster, Pat the Patriot, Blades the Boston Bruins Bear, Miss Massachusetts, Natalie Pietrzak and the US Coast Guard Color Guard.

Giovino, 53, a senior account executive at Konica Minolta Business Solutions and a Medford native, said the Medford Invitation Tournament itself started 17 years ago with three Little League teams playing in a small round robin.

It was the brainchild of Paul DeStefano of Medford. He, Charlie Ciampaglia, president of South Medford Little League, and Giovino, president of North Medford Little League,

“[We] wanted to see what would happen if we combine all the little leagues in the city to form one powerhouse team, then challenge other cities,” Giovino said.

Medford won the first year. There are now 10 teams involved, and the two-week tourney, which includes the Challenger Day, features about 150 kids.

Challenger Day itself, meanwhile, began six years ago. Giovino was impressed with the Malden Little League Challenger program and decided that those athletes should get the same tournament celebration.

“It is hard to put into words, but the smiles on everyone's faces that day tell a great story,” Giovino said. “Watching these kids challenge their limitations and have fun makes for the best baseball ever.”